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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to an energy network commerce system and, more particularly, to an energy network commerce system that facilitates the management of energy transactions.
2. Description of the Background
With the deregulation of the various sectors of the energy industry, retail energy consumers are faced with a myriad of choices when it comes to selecting an energy provider. Consumers must wade through voluminous and oftentimes confusing and conflicting data to try and find the most cost effective provider that will meet their demands. Also, energy providers must be able to reach all consumers who may need their products to communicate rate and availability data. This requirement necessitates the need for sales and marketing overhead, which raises the price of the energy being supplied.
FIG. 22 illustrates a process from the relevant art which is designed to facilitate the energy transactional process. A database 10 stores information relevant to the energy consumption of customers, such as contact information and consumption and billing information for the geographic sites and accounts of each customer. An agent, which is responsible for managing individual customers, can update the database at step 12. At step 14, the agent identifies customers to purchase for based on the customers that need contracts. At step 16, the agent (or alternatively the customer) posts a buy order for customers needing contracts via facsimile to energy suppliers. At step 18, suppliers submit bids on the buy orders to fulfill the customer""s energy requirements. At step 20, a buyer selects a bid which meets the customer""s requirements, thus forming a contract between the supplier and the customer. At steps 22 and 24, the buyer notifies the agent and the supplier, respectively, of the executed contract via the telephone, email, or electronically.
The only computer activity in the process illustrated in FIG. 22 concerns the update/query of the database 10. The process of FIG. 22 is thus a single user (i.e. the agent) environment that is not networked. The process of FIG. 22 relies on facsimile machines and telephones, which tend to be inherently unreliable modes of communication when compared with computerized processes. Thus, agents which post bids using the process of FIG. 22 may not reach all eligible suppliers. Furthermore, it is difficult to track communications between parties and thus miscommunications may result.
Thus, there is a need for a computer network system which can facilitate the agreement process between energy consumers and energy suppliers in which energy volumes are aggregated for one or more consumers for bulk purchasing and each consumer gets its own account-specific transaction. There is a further need for an energy network system which can match a consumer""s energy needs with a cost-effective energy supplier in real time with little involvement by the consumer or the supplier. There is also a need for an energy network system which avoids repeated price disclosures by energy suppliers. There is also a need for an energy network system which can manage all data related to the energy contracting process and can allow differing levels of access to the data by various parties. There is also a need for an energy network system that allows for client information management and for purchasing and contract tracking. There is a further need for an energy network system that allows for contract management and electronically implements a xe2x80x9cpost and bidxe2x80x9d, or reverse auction process in real time.
The present invention is directed to a computer-assisted method of facilitating a transaction between an energy consumer-client desiring an energy contract and an energy supplier. The method includes posting a buy order where the supplier can access the buy order via a computer network and receiving a bid from the supplier via the network. The method also includes accepting the bid via the network when a precondition is met.
The present invention has the advantage that it can facilitate the agreement process between energy consumers and energy suppliers in which energy volumes are aggregated for one or more consumers for bulk purchasing and each consumer gets its own account-specific transaction. The present invention has the further advantage that it can match a consumer""s energy needs with a cost-effective energy supplier in real time with little involvement by the consumer or the supplier. The present invention also has the advantage that it avoids repeated price disclosures by energy suppliers. The present invention also has the advantage that it can manage all data related to the energy contracting process and can allow differing levels of access to the data by various parties. The present invention also has the advantage that it allows for client information management and for purchasing and contract tracking. The present invention has the further advantage that it allows for contract management and electronically implements a xe2x80x9cpost and bidxe2x80x9d, or reverse auction process in real time. The present invention also has the advantage that it allows for a contract to be formed for a future energy need and does not limit contract formation to the time that the contracted-for product is required. The present invention has the further advantage of reducing costs for energy consumers compared with traditional systems and methods of energy consumer-supplier contract formation.